The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh

The other reviewers have covered this book very well, from many viewpoints. I would add that I found this book to be surprisingly compelling and fascinating, considering what could have been dry subject matter. Damrosch brings the characters to vivid life, from the mythic gods of 4,000 BC and beyond, the quasi-mythic character Gilgamesh, a brilliant, self-taught Englishman who deciphered the ancient Akkadian cuneiform, an Iraqi/British citizen who discovered the buried library of Ashurbanipal (to whom the British denied acknowledgement of his achievement), clear through to the influence of the epic on modern writers including Phillip Roth and none other than Saddam Hussein. Rarely have I found a non-fiction book to be a page-turner. Damrosch is to be commended not only for his research, but for his vivid writing.

One might be forgiven for thinking that a book that is half-devoted to the archaeological expeditions and discoveries in Mesopotamia in the nineteenth century, and the subsequent attempts of linguists to crack the linguistic "code" that ultimately led to the recovery of the Epic of Gilgamesh, would be dry. One would be wrong: Damrosch writes with velocity and poise, yet does not sacrifice scholarly heft, weaving in issues of pertaining to colonialism, culture, race, and the arbitrariness of history, as he hurtles backward towards ancient Mesopotamia. Along the way, he attempts to set the record straight by shedding new light on the (unlikely, and remarkable) career of Iraqi archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam, so central to the Western re-discovery of the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian pasts, and so often shunted to the side by his British colleagues, whether as an archaeologist or a diplomat; Damrosch's rescue of Rassam's work from oblivion seems to me as much an ethical act as one of scholarship. But the book offers other pleasures too: Damrosch has a novelist's gift when it comes to characterization, and vividly sketches nineteenth century scholars like George Smith and Henry Rawlinson to life. But most rewarding of all is Damrosch's evocation of the ancient milieu of the epic, and his account of the functionings of the Assyrian court and bureaucrac; not to mention his engagement with the poem itself, and with its abiding relevance. It is man's fate to die, the poem seems to tell us, and even at such great remove, the uncompromising clarity of that insight unsettles.

"The Epic of Gilgamesh" is standard fare in college literature, history and religion courses today. The ancient Mesopotamian tale, which has the earliest known version of the Flood Story, has influenced and inspired Mesopotamians (including the ancestors of the early Hebrews) for centuries, along with possibly Greeks and other Mediterranean peoples. However, but for a chance archaeological discovery in the 19th century, the original tale may have been lost forever. In THE BURIED BOOK, scholar David Damrosch explores the importance of Gilgamesh for the ancient Mesopotamians as well as how it was discovered in the early days of archeology and translated from cuneiform into English by a self-taught linguist. The journey of the epic from ancient Mesopotamia to the college classroom and beyond is quite extraordinary, and Damrosch does an excellent job presenting the tale. He cleverly tells the story of the "loss and rediscovery" of Gilgamesh backwards, starting with its translation from the clay tablets by George Smith, who worked for the British Museum, in 1872. Without Smith, Gilgamesh and his story most likely would have been ignored or overlooked. The actual discovery of the Gilgamesh tablets (no one entire copy has survived, and what we read has been pieced together from tablets at various sites) was made by the Iraqi archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam, a figure who bridged the divide between the Occident and the Orient. Despite his success and important discoveries, he was never fully accepted or respected by most of his European counterparts, even after making England his home and years of dedicated service to the British Museum. Both Smith and Rassam are as interesting as their work, and Damrosch nicely weaves in to his book some of their biography. Before Rassam uncovered the tablets that ultimately contained "The Epic of Gilgamesh," they were buried for centuries. And, if not for an Assyrian king in the 7th century BCE, the tablets may not have survived at all. Ashurbanipal collected religious and secular literary works, in effect creating the world's first library. Ashurbanipal is also a fascinating character, and as THE BURIED BOOK marches backward through time, Ashurbanipal's name is added to the list of important men who preserved the amazing tale of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh himself predates anything written about him, and Damrosch explores the history and legend of this very ancient hero and leader. After tracing the story of Gilgamesh back as far as possible, Damrosch returns readers to the present. Saddam Hussein rushes to put the finishing touches on his latest novel as American troops close in on him. That he is a novelist may be surprising to some. But at this point in Damrosch's examination, it is not surprising that Hussein would compare himself to Gilgamesh and use the epic as a cultural, national and religious touchstone. But Hussein is not the only one to borrow from or refer to the great epic; writers such as Philip Roth and, m

The story begins in 19th century Iraq with the accidental discovery of the until then unknown Epic of Gilgamesh, and unlike most history books, works backwards in time slowly revealing the mystery of its origins and meaning - this chronology works well, not unlike an archaeological dig. The first half of the book is devoted to two unlikely and largely unsung heroes of the Victorian era who first found and deciphered the tablets, George Smith and Horzmud Rassam. Rassam is probably the most important and unique revelation of the book, as Damrosch restores an unfairly maligned scholar to his rightful place in history and perhaps some immortality. The second half of the book jumps backwards from the 19th century to when the Epic was written, discussing the history of the Assyrian kingdom, and the library where the tablets were buried. The tablets were buried around 700 BC when the city was sacked, and thus the Epic lain forgotten from that time until the 19th century. Had the city not been sacked and the tablets not buried, it is likely the Epic would have been lost forever, as most tablets from that period did not survive otherwise. This is a fun tale, both Smith and Rassam encompass dramatic lives as underdogs who rose from obscurity, overcoming Victorian prejudices of class and race. If nothing else the first half of the book is worth the price of admission, in particular Rassam's side adventure to Ethiopia. Damrosch's literary interpretation of the Epic (Ch. 6) provides valuable insights, such as the importance of cedar trees, making it less "foreign" (both in time and culture) and more universally human. I certainly came away with a new appreciation of the tales message of the quest for immortality. The Sources and Notes section includes an up to date guide of recent translations of the Epic, recommended reading before deciding which translation(s) to pursue.

In the mid-19th Century, the fragile condition of the Ottoman Empire left its borders more open to intrusion by Christian visitors. Originally intending to simply visit the "Holy Land", the influx included people who wanted to know more about the various peoples living in Biblical times. Their quests led them to the earliest sites of human civilisation, ancient Mesopetamia. The Land of Two Rivers hinted at early complex societies and a bit of scratching around at enigmatic mounds revealed immense potential for new knowledge. David Damrosch, a scholar of literature, focusses on one element of that vast store, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Damrosch organises his material around the diggers, their findings and the stories revealed. There are several notable figures, with the author striving to give credit where that has been lacking - or purposely dismissed. Austen Layard was the prime mover in the revelation of Nineveh. After him, a self-taught enthusiast, George Smith, became among the earliest translators of ancient Akkadian, the language engraved on the multitude of clay shards uncovered. A third, more tragic figure is that of Hormuzd Rassam. With family and cultural ties to the area, Rassam kept teams of excavators working, sometimes in the face of obstructions by Ottoman authorities. His finds were significant, but, according to Damrosch his origins made him "suspect". The British attitude toward "Orientals" led to his work being dismissed as unimportant or even false. Yet, between them all, a legend buried for two millennia came into view - the epic of Gilgamesh. The real purpose of this book is revealed at Damrosch examines and assesses the Gilgamesh story. Apart from its seeming verification of the Noachean Flood, Gilgamesh offers insight to how ancient peoples viewed their relationship to the gods. The epic also demonstrates how myths and legends, especially those dealing with social norms and major events, were neither conceived nor accepted in isolation. Each culture passed its myths to its neighbours, the process often blurring origins beyond identification. Damrosch sees Mesopetamian floods of cities on the plains as inspiring others. To those ancient peoples, the loss of a mud-brick city to floodwaters was tantamount to the end of the world [as a literary scholar, Damrosch is apparently unaware of William Ryan's thesis on the flooding of the Black Sea as a source for these legends]. Far more significant, however, is Damrosch's explanation of the persistence of the Gilgamesh story both in its homeland and as a part of Western society's outlook. The book, although narrowly focussed, is a major contribution. The writing is a touch labourious, but flows smoothly enough to remain informative and entertaining. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]